Wild Ginger - Coats

[duh who]

Anyone who has the Wild Ginger software (I'm getting the Tailor Made), how
are their instructions on making coats, with the lining, insulation, etc.

Is it a royal pain? Do they cover the bases?

[Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply]

They don't have highly-detailed instructions on sewing, but they
recommend that you purchase a basic book on sewing to learn the absolute
basics.

duh who wrote:
> Anyone who has the Wild Ginger software (I'm getting the Tailor Made), how
> are their instructions on making coats, with the lining, insulation, etc.
>
> Is it a royal pain? Do they cover the bases?
>
>


--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

[duh who]

"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" > wrote in
message ...
> They don't have highly-detailed instructions on sewing,

Their website says they do. Hmmmm....

[duh who]

"duh who" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" > wrote
in
> message ...
> > They don't have highly-detailed instructions on sewing,
>
> Their website says they do. Hmmmm....

This is what they say in their FAQ, which is different from something I read
somewhere else on their site:



4. Does the programs come with garment construction instructions?

Yes. PatternMaster & Click&Sew ships with a library of garment construction
instructions. These construction sheets can be read or printed from the
computer using the Adobe Reader which is contained in the Pattern Master
CD-ROM. However, these instructions are not assembly instructions customized
for each of the thousands of styles combinations that you can create with
PatternMaster products.

[Valkyrie]

"duh who" > wrote in message
...
> However, these instructions are not assembly instructions customized
> for each of the thousands of styles combinations that you can create with
> PatternMaster products.
>
>

The Wild Ginger programs are not to teach you to sew, per say. They do give
instructions that I have found more than adequate but then I've been sewing
for almost 50 years, have taken quite a few classes and seminars and still
refer to my books. I'm always learning new tips and tricks. If you are a
novice sewer you need to get some good instruction books or take some
classes. Tailor Made is a great program, and does have instructions but it
won't give you every little step by step detail you'll need to sew up a coat
if you don't already have a pretty good knowledge of construction.

Val

[duh who]

"Trishty" > wrote in message
.. .
> On Thu, 02 Oct 2003 16:42:45 GMT, duh who wrote:
>
> > Anyone who has the Wild Ginger software (I'm getting the Tailor Made),
how
> > are their instructions on making coats, with the lining, insulation,
etc.
> >
> > Is it a royal pain? Do they cover the bases?
>
> PMB instructions certainly cover the bases, but that's all. You will need
a
> manual if you want to make a coat. PMB has clear step-by-step instructions
> on how to make things like linings, with illustrations (using jackets as
an
> example), but I don't think they mention interlining, or how to attach
it -
> a certain level of experience is assumed. Remember that you're designing
> your own garment here - the makers of PMB can't know whether you want your
> coat single-layer, lined or interlined - that's your decision.
>
> Personally, I wouldn't tackle anything in PMB that I hadn't sewn before
> unless I had a good manual to hand.

I can do shirts. Haven't done a coat or jacket yet. That's what concerns
me. I suppose I could buy a pattern somewhere that does what I want and
then transpose it to this package. Except there's so very little to draw
from out there in men's patterns, which is why I'm going this route.

I"m so very tired of this bias towards women's clothing.

Dwight

[Trishty]

On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 15:16:59 GMT, duh who wrote:

> I can do shirts. Haven't done a coat or jacket yet. That's what concerns
> me. <snip>


Vogue 2613 is a nice coat pattern if you fancy a classic overcoat. Once you
got the hang of that, you could extrapolate from it, using PMTM. I've never
seen a trenchcoat pattern - could you use a womens pattern and swap the
fronts, or would that be too weird? Come to think of it, aren't Burberrys
unisex? You button it one way or the other according to gender.

It is trickier for men to find patterns. I guess it's not so worthwhile for
the pattern companies to invest in producing them, because there are fewer
men sewing, fewer women sewing for men, and men's fashion is more static,
so there's not the constant change of wrap and closure and detail that you
get on women's fashion.

Mens tailored wear is also very structured compared with womenswear and may
use techniques like pad stitching, which are pretty advanced - I think Kate
has a demo of that on her website. Most men who learn to sew tailored
garments that well are doing it for a living.

I learned how coats were constructed by taking old ones apart - many of my
thrift-store coats were mens, as it happens. I've always worn menswear, as
mens RTW is often higher quality than womenswear.

:) Trish

[Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply]

Okay, so maybe they don't have them where I have looked. (shrug)

If you aren't too good at sewing, it's still a good idea to have a basic
sewing book.

duh who wrote:
> "Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" > wrote in
> message ...
>
>>They don't have highly-detailed instructions on sewing,
>
>
> Their website says they do. Hmmmm....
>
>


--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

[Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply]

duh who wrote:
>
> This is what they say in their FAQ, which is different from something I read
> somewhere else on their site:

(snip)

> CD-ROM. However, these instructions are not assembly instructions customized
> for each of the thousands of styles combinations that you can create with
> PatternMaster products.

This was what I was meaning when I said that they don't have
highly-detailed instrux -- they aren't step-by-step instrux, just
general garment contruction information.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

[Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply]

duh who wrote:
>
> I can do shirts. Haven't done a coat or jacket yet. That's what concerns
> me. I suppose I could buy a pattern somewhere that does what I want and
> then transpose it to this package. Except there's so very little to draw
> from out there in men's patterns, which is why I'm going this route.
>
> I"m so very tired of this bias towards women's clothing.

You will do fine. Even if you did have a regular pattern (that fit
right, of course) and their instructions, it's *still* very helpful to
have other resources on garment construction and design.

Threads mag did an article a few years back on making a lined coat with
those new thinner lining fabrics. Maybe if they still have it online (I
would search on something like "coat lining" or "thermopore" or whatever
the name is of that ultra-thin thermal lining fabric) you could snag a
copy and it might have more helpful information.

Melinda, who does not intend to get rid of her 5-6 pattern fitting books
just because she has pattern-drafting software to do it for her now

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa

[duh who]

"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" > wrote in
message ...
> Okay, so maybe they don't have them where I have looked. (shrug)
>
> If you aren't too good at sewing, it's still a good idea to have a basic
> sewing book.

I've got the reader's digest book, which doesn't do much with outwear it
seems.

[duh who]

"Trishty" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 15:16:59 GMT, duh who wrote:
>
> > I can do shirts. Haven't done a coat or jacket yet. That's what
concerns
> > me. <snip>
>
>
> Vogue 2613 is a nice coat pattern if you fancy a classic overcoat. Once
you
> got the hang of that, you could extrapolate from it, using PMTM. I've
never
> seen a trenchcoat pattern - could you use a womens pattern and swap the
> fronts, or would that be too weird? Come to think of it, aren't Burberrys
> unisex? You button it one way or the other according to gender.

I'm not looking for an overcoat (which I term to be one of those knee-length
P-coats). I'm looking for a waist length coat that will be insulated. I'm
wanting to do a mandarin style.

Perhaps the pattern you mention might still help me.


> Mens tailored wear is also very structured compared with womenswear and
may
> use techniques like pad stitching, which are pretty advanced - I think
Kate
> has a demo of that on her website. Most men who learn to sew tailored
> garments that well are doing it for a living.

Well, I"m not looking to do a dress coat, per se. Just a more form fitting
coat for warmth and knock around.

> I learned how coats were constructed by taking old ones apart - many of my
> thrift-store coats were mens, as it happens. I've always worn menswear,
as
> mens RTW is often higher quality than womenswear.

I'll have to look into that.

[SewStorm]

>Melinda, who does not intend to get rid of her 5-6 pattern fitting books
>just because she has pattern-drafting software to do it for her now

And for the same reason, I have 7 or 8 shelves of sewing books. Do I know how
to sew? Yes, very, very well. But do I know how to do everything there is to
do? Not on your life. There are so many different techniques, so many different
applications, and I know I'll never in this lifetime ever try them all. But
it's great to know that I have a library of sewing techniques and methods to
draw from others' expertise when I want to do something a little different.

That's partly what libraries are for. By the way, I don't really consider a
lack of books for tailoring a "bias towards women's clothing". There are a lot
of books on fit right now, and on quilting, but like everything else, it goes
in waves. In the past there have been excellent books on tailoring; it just has
fallen out of fashion lately, but I do see it coming back.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

[Liz]

Hi Diana,
I've been looking at their patterns on the web and thought they looked
good -- can you tell me what they're like to use? Easy? Plenty of
information? I've done a middling amount of sewing from
Vogue/Butterick/McCalls etc patterns -- how do the Folkwear ones compare?
Thanks very much,
Liz

"Diana Curtis" > wrote in message
...
> I'm just going to toss this idea out to you.. I havent the foggiest if its
> up your alley.. Folkwear Patterns. www.folkwear.com
> It just seems that you are looking for something a little out of the
> ordinary, and the basic pattern companys arent doing it for you. I hope
this
> helps. If not, at least I got to put the word out to others. I like their
> patterns. :-)
> Diana
>

[Diana Curtis]

I'm just going to toss this idea out to you.. I havent the foggiest if its
up your alley.. Folkwear Patterns. www.folkwear.com
It just seems that you are looking for something a little out of the
ordinary, and the basic pattern companys arent doing it for you. I hope this
helps. If not, at least I got to put the word out to others. I like their
patterns. :-)
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"duh who" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Trishty" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Fri, 03 Oct 2003 15:16:59 GMT, duh who wrote:
> >
> > > I can do shirts. Haven't done a coat or jacket yet. That's what
> concerns
> > > me. <snip>
> >
> >
> > Vogue 2613 is a nice coat pattern if you fancy a classic overcoat. Once
> you
> > got the hang of that, you could extrapolate from it, using PMTM. I've
> never
> > seen a trenchcoat pattern - could you use a womens pattern and swap the
> > fronts, or would that be too weird? Come to think of it, aren't
Burberrys
> > unisex? You button it one way or the other according to gender.
>
> I'm not looking for an overcoat (which I term to be one of those
knee-length
> P-coats). I'm looking for a waist length coat that will be insulated.
I'm
> wanting to do a mandarin style.
>
> Perhaps the pattern you mention might still help me.
>
>
> > Mens tailored wear is also very structured compared with womenswear and
> may
> > use techniques like pad stitching, which are pretty advanced - I think
> Kate
> > has a demo of that on her website. Most men who learn to sew tailored
> > garments that well are doing it for a living.
>
> Well, I"m not looking to do a dress coat, per se. Just a more form
fitting
> coat for warmth and knock around.
>
> > I learned how coats were constructed by taking old ones apart - many of
my
> > thrift-store coats were mens, as it happens. I've always worn menswear,
> as
> > mens RTW is often higher quality than womenswear.
>
> I'll have to look into that.
>
>

[Liz]

Thanks, I never thought of ebay. I'll have a look
Liz

"Diana Curtis" > wrote in message
...
> I have several of their patterns, back from the old days when they were
> printed on nice heavy paper. I found their instructions to be accurate and
> easy to follow, patterns were marked well...and pages for embellishment
> options were nicely layed out. That is from the experience of making up 3
or
> 4 of their patterns.
> A lot of the Ethnic patterns are formed from rectangles and so are easy to
> alter.
> On the Afghani Nomad Dress Pattern I found I needed to tweak the neckline
a
> bit to make it comfortable, but all the rest of them needed no work.
> If youre curious about them but dont want to pay full price then you might
> consider buying through Ebay, where I have found a number of them at any
> given time going for about half price.
> HTH
> Diana
>
>

[duh who]

"Diana Curtis" > wrote in message
...
> I'm just going to toss this idea out to you.. I havent the foggiest if its
> up your alley.. Folkwear Patterns. www.folkwear.com
> It just seems that you are looking for something a little out of the
> ordinary, and the basic pattern companys arent doing it for you. I hope
this
> helps. If not, at least I got to put the word out to others. I like their
> patterns. :-)
> Diana

Nah, they don't have what I want.

Now, if I wanted a Halloween costume, or unisex surgical scrubs, hell, I'd
have my pick.

rant, rant, rant, rend.

[Diana Curtis]

I have several of their patterns, back from the old days when they were
printed on nice heavy paper. I found their instructions to be accurate and
easy to follow, patterns were marked well...and pages for embellishment
options were nicely layed out. That is from the experience of making up 3 or
4 of their patterns.
A lot of the Ethnic patterns are formed from rectangles and so are easy to
alter.
On the Afghani Nomad Dress Pattern I found I needed to tweak the neckline a
bit to make it comfortable, but all the rest of them needed no work.
If youre curious about them but dont want to pay full price then you might
consider buying through Ebay, where I have found a number of them at any
given time going for about half price.
HTH
Diana


--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Liz" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Diana,
> I've been looking at their patterns on the web and thought they looked
> good -- can you tell me what they're like to use? Easy? Plenty of
> information? I've done a middling amount of sewing from
> Vogue/Butterick/McCalls etc patterns -- how do the Folkwear ones compare?
> Thanks very much,
> Liz
>
> "Diana Curtis" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I'm just going to toss this idea out to you.. I havent the foggiest if
its
> > up your alley.. Folkwear Patterns. www.folkwear.com
> > It just seems that you are looking for something a little out of the
> > ordinary, and the basic pattern companys arent doing it for you. I hope
> this
> > helps. If not, at least I got to put the word out to others. I like
their
> > patterns. :-)
> > Diana
> >
>
>

[Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply]

duh who wrote:
>
> Now, if I wanted a Halloween costume, or unisex surgical scrubs, hell, I'd
> have my pick.

Well, you can still look at the styles to decide what you want even if
they aren't for your gender or your size. Then you can copy that with
your Tailor Made software.

--
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.
I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa